Basic Web Development

Learning to code can be like learning Tai Chi.

Q: Web development—with the wide range of backend and frontend languages, frameworks, and all of the tools and dependencies developers deal with on a day-to-day basis building apps and sites—is inherently complex. What advice do you give folks who are just starting out in web development?

1) When someone is getting started in web development, I usually focus on three things. First, you have to learn your foundations. Get good at HTML, responsive CSS3, and vanilla JavaScript. This will be of use to you no matter where you’re working.

2) Second, pick something and get good at it. Pick a single frontend framework and a single backend framework and get to know them well. Try a variety of projects in them; find the places they annoy you; get to know the communities; dig in deep; give back.